Pollen-collecting device.



' EUGENE 'MoULIE, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. POLLEN-COLLECTING /DEVICESpecification (if Letters Patent.

Application filed June 12, 1906. Serial No. 321,325.

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE MoULIE, a

; citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jacksonville, in thecounty of Duval and State of Florida, have invented a new and ImprovedPollen-Collecting Device, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description. p i r This invention relates to pollen-collectingdevices by means of which pollen is collected foru se in the manufactureof medicines and the like, and is particularlyuseful in connection withdevices of this character in which severed twigs orbranchesbearingblossoms from which the pollen is'to' be collected are.held with their stems immersed in water or V A further object of theinvention is to proother liquid contained in a vessel.

vide a pollen-collecting device which may be easily moved about fromplace to place and in which the twigs or branches are retainedcomparatively secure against accidental displacementf I The inventionconsists in the construction and combination ofparts to be more fullydescribed hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a transverse cross-section of the device in use. Fig. 2 is asimilar longitudinal cross-section, and Fig. 3 is a plan view, of myinvention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I provide a vessel or tank1, which may be of any suitable shape, but is preferably rectangular inform, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The vessel may be made of sheet metal.

or other suitable material and is provided at the ends with handles 2,loosely mounted in sockets 3, rigidly secured to the sides. By means ofthese handles the device may be easily moved from place to place ascircumstances require. Near the bottom of the vessel and on one of thesides I provide a small tube 4, communicating with the interior, bymeans of which the vessel may be emptied of the water or other fluidwithin it when so desired by simply allowing the water to flow outthrough the tube or through a hose attached to the tube. The tube may beclosed ordinarily by inserting a cork or plug 5 in the end thereof. Itwill be understood that if so desired this tube 4 may be replaced by afaucet or turn-cock.

Across the open top of the vessel I provide tudinal bars 7, crossing thetransverse bars 6 at substantially right angles. The bars are secured tothe edges of the vessel by having their extremities bent over theseedges and a pair of transverse bars 6 and a pair of longisoldered orotherwise rigidly attached there I J to. The bars are located across thetop the vesselparallel, respectively, to the sides and longitudinaledges and at a small distance from the same, as shown most clearlyin 3.Mounted upon the cross-bars is a top 8 of sheet metal or other suitablematerial, the

edge'sof which are bent around the bars and sold ered or otherwisesuitably secured thereto.

of the vesseLl, but leaves lateral openings 9 between these edges andthe top. The top is provided with an opening 10 substantially in thecenter, which may be of any suitable "The top 8 does not extend totheedg es n form, but is preferably rectangular, as shown most clearlyin Fig. 3. This opening is formed by making two substantially-para-l- 8olel transverse cuts in the sheet metal comprising the top and alongitudinal cut joining the two transverse cuts. The flaps 11 of themetal thus separated on three sides are then gent downward, as shownmost clearly in When it is desired to use this device for collecting thepollen from plants, twigs or branches 13 of these plants are severed andare then inserted throughthe lateral openings 9 with their stemsextending into the vessel in adiagonally-downward direction, as

shown most clearly in Fig. 1, said stems being immersed in the liquid,preferably water, with which the vessel is filled. The device is placedupon a sheet of paper 12 or othermaterial and is located in a closedroom in which the temperature is maintained constantly at a suitablepoint and from which drafts are excluded, which would be liable todisturb the pollen or blow it away. As the ends of the twigs or branchesproject beyond the sides of the vessel and extend over the paper uponwhich the device is placed, the pollen 14 as it separates from theblossoms will fall upon this paper, from which it is easily. collectedfrom time to time. As the stems of the twigs are immersed in water, theblossoms will remain fresh and-will graduallyfripen under the favorablecircumstances of moisture and constant proper temperature.

The downwardly-projecting flaps 11 are 5 useful in holding the twigs 13submerged and preventing their accidental displacement. It

is of advantage to changethe water or other liquid in the vessel fromtime to time, and

this may be done without disturbing the 1 plants by withdrawing theliquid through the tube 4 and replacing it with fresh liquid by openingwhereby the vessel may be lled 2 5 with liquid.

1 2. A device of the class described, comprising a vessel adapted tocontain a liquid, a

top on said vessel, and openings betweerrsaid' top and said vessel,adapted to allow'the in- 0 sertion of twigs and the lik fia'id tophaving an opening whereby the vessel may be filled with a liquid.

' 3. A device bf the class described, comprising a vessel adapted tocontain a liquid, a

top extending toward the sides of said vessel and having lateralprojections adapted to eng'ageEwith the edges jjof said vessel to holdsaid top in place, and openings between said top and said vessel adaptedto allow the insertion of twigs and the like, said to having an openingwhereby the vessel may e filled with a liquid. j

4. A device of the class described, comprising a vessel adapted tocontain a liquid, cross-bars secured to the edges of said vessel andextending across the same, a top mounted on said cross-bars, openingsbetween said top and the edges of said vessel adapted to allow theinsertion of twigs and the like in a diagonally-downward direction, andan opening in said top whereby said vessel may be filled with a liquid.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a vessel, cross-barssecured to the edges of said vessel and extending across the samesubstantially parallel to the edges thereof, a top mounted upon saidbars, and openings between said top and the edges of said vessel adaptedto allow the insertion of twigs and the like with the tops thereofextending beyond the sides of said vessel, said top having anopening-whereby said vessel may be filledwithaliquid, said openinghaving edges disposed'downwardly to act as guards to retain the stems ofsaid twigs immersed in the liquid.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE MOULIE.

Witnesses:

J. I. HOLLINGSWORTH, FRED T. BARNETT.

